Memory lives on in the skies (From Bournemouth Echo)

Memory lives on in the skies

7:50am Wednesday 13th May 2009 in

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IT’S not unusual to see the owners of airlines throw themselves into publicity about their companies with abandon.

Whether it’s Richard Branson dressing up and larking about for the cameras, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary with his tongue firmly in cheek at a press conference or Stelios Haji-Ioannou pushing the Easyjet brand, they’re always around for a ready smile and a tasty soundbite.

Peter Bath’s commitment to the company he founded was very different, but he was as important to Bath Travel and Palmair as any of this multi-millionaire trio and it’s unlikely that any of them commanded the kind of love and respect from their staff.

Peter was famous for personally seeing off all his company’s flights, a tradition which delighted hundreds of thousands of Palmair passengers over the years, myself included.

He was a legend in the travel business as well as in the local business community

Indeed, the family home at Avon is under the Hurn flight path and he would also often wave from his garden to Palmair pilots and passengers as they returned to Bournemouth.

He was a legend in the travel business as well as in the local business community and last night saw Palmair pay its respects in real style with the launch of its latest Boeing 737, named The Spirit of Peter Bath.

He may not be announcing the departures of the latest addition, but I am absolutely sure that ‘PJ’ will be waving and smiling with pride when it takes to the air.